Patent · US Expired

Clocking technique for reducing sampling noise in an analog-to-digital converter

US6232905A · kind A · utility

30Cited by
7References
72Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 8, 1999
Grant dateMay 15, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 8, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03M1/12
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for improving the operation of an analog-to-digital converter ("ADC"). A separate "clean" oscillator clock is to be used in combination with a "noisy" ADC clock being regulated by a phase-locked-loop (PLL) circuit. The "noisy" ADC clock drives the digital control logic and also turns on the sample signal for the purpose of sampling. The second clock, which has a substantially fixed (i.e., "clean") frequency is used to generate a short pulse, the leading edge of which turns off the sample signal, thereby providing an improved sampling process with greater resolution. The interaction of the two clocks is controlled with digital logic circuitry.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.